I. Overview of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon

I. Overview of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon

Current editions include: ① Wang Bing’s “Comprehensive Commentary on the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon – Suwen” from the Tang Dynasty; ② Lin Yi’s “Comprehensive Commentary on the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon – Suwen” from the Song Dynasty. The first nine volumes, comprising 81 chapters, are dedicated to “Suwen,” while the last nine volumes, also 81 chapters, cover “Lingshu.” The name “Lingshu” was coined by Lin Yi, who referred to “Lingshu” as “Needle Classic.”

What does “Inner Canon” mean? Zhang Jingyue said, “‘Inner’ signifies the way of life, while ‘Canon’ means the channel through which the Dao is conveyed. ‘Suwen’ refers to the knowledge accumulated over time.” Quan Yuanqi stated, “‘Su’ represents the origin, while ‘wen’ refers to the Yellow Emperor asking Qibo about the Dao—originally, the Dao is the foundation of yin and yang, the root of the Five Elements.” Quan Yuanqi was a great physician during the Sui Dynasty, and he authored numerous commentaries on the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon. Unfortunately, many of his works were lost; however, many of his key insights were adopted by Wang Taipu’s “Comprehensive Commentary on the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon – Suwen,” which has survived to this day—a true blessing for traditional Chinese medicine. According to “Divine Records of the Immortals,” “Heaven sent Su Nü to treat people’s illnesses, and the Emperor asked her about it—hence the name ‘Suwen.’” This is, however, merely a fanciful tale. Examining historical records reveals that Wang Bing served as an imperial physician under Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and as chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy; Lin Yi was the chief physician under Emperors Renzong and Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, also serving as a minister of the Imperial Medical Academy.